Smitten by Books

DEBUT!Going Cowboy Crazy
Author: Katie Lane
Publisher: Grand Central
Line: Forever
Pub. Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0446582780
Retail: $5.99 ~ New low price
Pages: 384

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Faith Aldridge wants answers. Bramble, Texas is the only place she can find them . . . as well as Hope, the identical twin sister she never knew she had. But the townsfolk reckon that shy city-girl Faith is really her long-lost sister Hope, back in Bramble at last. And they’re fixin’ to do whatever it takes to heat things up between her and Hope’s long-time flame, Slate Calhoun. If that means rustling her car, spreading rumors like wildfire, and reining in some explosive secrets, well, there’s no way like the Lone Star way . . .

But Slate’s no fool. The woman in his truck may look like Hope, yet the way she feels in his arms is altogether new. He’s determined to keep this twin in his bed and out of his heart. Trouble is, the real Hope is headed home, and she’s got her own designs on Slate. If Faith wants to avoid heartbreak, she’ll have to show a certain ruggedly handsome cowboy that this crazy-impossible love is worth fighting for.

~*~*~

Faith Aldridge didn’t know what to expect when she arrived in the small west Texas town of Bramble looking for the twin sister she’s never met, but she certainly didn’t anticipate meeting a man like Slate Calhoun. The rest of the town mistakes her for Hope, her twin, but Slate knows the second he kisses her that this polished city slicker isn’t his oldest friend.

The chemistry between these two ratchets up to white hot in no time, but misconceptions abound. The towns people, convinced that Faith is Hope, and laboring under the delusion that Hope and Slate are MFOE (made for each other), hold Faith’s car hostage and refuse to let her leave town until “Hope” and Slate are together.

With no place to go, Faith finds herself sucked into the town and into Slate’s arms. But Bramble and Slate have more layers than she expected, some of them more troubling than others. Finding allies in Shirlene, wife of the town’s richest citizen, and Austin, one of Slate’s football players who hides behind a badittude and smart mouth, Faith begins to realize that it’s time for her to live for herself – and for love.

Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It really reminded me of an early Rachel Gibson (Daisy’s Back in Town) or early Susan Elizabeth Phillips (Lady Be Good). As a Texas girl, I enjoyed the setting, although I thought it might have been a bit over done. Still, the small town fishbowl really worked for the development of the characters and provided a nice little microcosm for the love story to blossom. The twins separated at birth storyline bugged me until Lane tossed in a twist that added a unique layer of complexity and depth to the story that I appreciated.

As in most Texas tales, the supporting cast is fun. Shirlene steps in and fulfills Faith’s need for a female ally in a town of slightly crazy people and pushes her to step outside of her comfort zone to embrace the woman she can be. Young Austin serves as a well placed mirror for Slate, a reminder of his own troubled youth so that he can connect with his football team and lead them to the victory every Texas high school football team strives for.

As main characters, Faith and Slate were delightfully flawed. Slate is the typical town football star-turned coach complete with good looks and smoldering hazel eyes, but the intuitive, compassionate side of him Lane made sure to include made him a dynamic, interesting partner for good girl Faith. The differences between quiet computer programmer Faith and her larger than life twin Hope were a bit conventional, but with Slate, Faith became a sassy, intriguing heroine who could take on the entire town and the tough Texas boy’s pigheaded nature.

~ Taylor

Rating: 7.5 (Better than just Good)

Heat Level: 4 (Hot)

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Make sure you check out the next book in Katie’s series, MAKE MINE A BAD BOY. It’s a June release and I’m giving away an ARC on the website. Click here for entry details.

Would you like to try out this new author? I’m giving away an ARC of GOING COWBOY CRAZY to one lucky commenter. 🙂